Annual Report 2018 | Page 13

ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 | 13 Cane – Burdekin Tender project NQ Dry Tropics Sugarcane Team Leader Luke Malan with Clare cane growers Heath (left) and Don Salter. We have reduced applied nitrogen on our farm by 20kg per hectare, whilst maintaining yield and saving on fertiliser. – Cane grower, Heath Salter Going above and beyond to reduce nitrogen runoff CANE growers in the Burdekin work hard to We didn’t expect improve their practices and reduce runoff – and latest results from the Burdekin Nutrient Tender project prove the effort is paying dividends. The project supports cane growers to reduce fertiliser use without affecting yield, and in two years has prevented 116 tonnes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) from entering waterways and impacting the Great Barrier Reef. A high level of DIN in water has been linked to outbreaks of crown of thorns starfish on the reef, and also provides ideal conditions for weeds to thrive in rivers and wetlands, which reduces habitat for native fish and migratory birds. The reduction in fertiliser rates was achieved by 16 local growers in the pilot round of the project, funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust. Under the project, growers proposed trialling ways to reduce fertiliser use – and put a price on the cost of making the change. Trials included matching fertiliser inputs to crop requirements and using technology to only apply fertiliser precisely where it is needed. growers to push the limits of what is possible, by going beyond the contracted fertiliser reductions without reducing yield. – Sugarcane Team Leader, Luke Malan IMPROVING WATER QUALITY